File.



PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907. F. A. WILLIAMS. FILE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS ALBERT WILLIAMS, OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR OF ONEFOURTH TO CHAS. S. ADAMS, OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA.

FILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1907.

Application filed December 28,1905. Serial No. 293,640.

To a, whom 110 may OOH/6877b.

ain, residing at Jacksonville, in the county of Duval and State of Florida, have invented a i new and useful File, of whlch the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for holding index cards, records, letters, papers and the 1 like.

One of the principal objects is to provide a simple file of the above character which will constitute a convenient receptacle for hold- For the purpose of securing the cards or other papers in place, a retaining device 13 is employed. This device is preferably formed of wire or sheet metal, and consists of angularly disposed arms. One of these arms 14. comprises spaced rods or wires joined together, shown at 15. The length of said arm is greater than the distance between the diagonally opposite corners of the receptacle and the ends 15 are arranged to 1 engage in said corners, the arm being necesing the cards or papers, yet permit of their 1 ready examination, and will protect such cards or papers from injury, the files being furthermore of a nature that will allow of their employment as drawers in any ordinary case.

A further and important object is to provide novel, efiicient and readily operable retaining means for holding cards or papers in the file.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 ment of the invention. view of the same with the cards and retaining device removed. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the retaining device. Fig. at is a perspective view of the file showing a slightly modified form of retaining device therein.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment illustrated in the first three figures, a receptacle is employed com- 5 prising a base or bottom 5, having a front wall 6 and a suitable side wall 7. Angularly disposed keeper walls 8 are located on the remaining angularly disposed marginal sides of the base or bottom 5, and their adj a cent terminals 9 are spaced from each other, leaving an open portion on two sides of the receptacle. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the said keeper walls 8 are arranged inside of the edges of the bottom or base, thereby forming protecting marginal flange portions 10. This is of particular importance when an index is employed, as, for instance, that shown in Fig. 1, wherein a set of cards 11 are employed having projecting indexed tabs 12. These tabs extend through the open side of the receptacle over the flange portions which thereby protect the same from injury.

which the ends 15 engage. 1 rent, therefore, that, when this retaining de is a perspective view of the preferred embodi Fig. 2 is a top plan.

sarily bent in order to permit its introduction into the receptacle. The other arm, designated 1.6, is carried by an intermediate portion of the arm 14 and also comprises side rods joined together at their free ends, as shown at 17. This end 17 engages in the corner between the said. diagonally opposite corners, as shown in Fig. 1, and the length of the arm 16 is greater than the distance be tween the corner and a straight line drawn between the diagonally opposite corners in It will be appavice is placed in the receptacle, the tension of the arms will cause the ends thereof to frictionally engage in their respective corners, and securely clamp the device at any depth within said receptacle. A simple and effective retainer is thereby provided,which is peculiarly useful when the box or receptacle is well filled.

A simpler form of retainer device is shown. in Fig. 4. In this case, the longer arm 14 is formed of a single wire and the intermediate transversely disposed arm 16 is formed by looping an intermediate portion of the wire. The action of this device is, however,

exactly the same, as will be apparent, and a further description thereof is therefore believed to be entirely unnecessary.

It will be seen that the papers placed in a file of this character will be laid fiat, and normally maintained horizontal. At the same time, said papers may be readily examined by holding the receptacle at an inclination with the open side uppermost, whereupon the papers or cards may be handled with ease and rapidity. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the device can be made in the form of an ordinary drawer which can be conveniently slipped into and out of a case or cabinet, and the device is thus capable of being used singly or in groups. The projecting flange construction, operation, and many advan.

tages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in. the art, with out further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A file of the character described, comprising a rectangular base, continuous angularly disposed side walls located on two sides 01 the base at the edges thereol and having their adjacent ends disposed together, forming a closed corner, and other angularly disposed side walls located on. the other two sides of the base and inset from the edges thereof, leaviiig outstanding margins outside the same, said latter side walls extending from the outer ends of the continuous walls,

forming two closed corners and terminating short of each other, leaving an open corner through which oppositely disposedv index tabs may project and be protected by the utstanding margins ol the base.

2, A file of the character described, comprising a base, and angularly disposed walls carried by the base, said walls having joined ends forming three closed corners, certain of said walls having spaced ends forming an open corner, in combination with a detachable retaining device that i rictionally and detachably engages in. said closed corners and is movable toward and from the base.

3. In a file of the character described, the

combination with a receptacle comprising a base, and side walls Forming diagonally opposite corners, of a removable yieldable retaining device movable in the receptale toward and from the base and. having ends that fit in the corners, said device being longer than the distance between said corners.

-:I-. In a file of the character described, the combination. with a receptacle comprising a base and side walls forming a plurality of l corners, of a removable yieldable retaining l device movable in the receptacle toward and from the base and comprising connected angularly disposed arms, the free ends of which frictionally engage in the corners, said device being longer than the distance between certain of said corners.

5. In file oi the character described, the combination with a receptacle having angularly disposed walls, of a removable yielding retaining device comprising angularly disposed arms having terminals that l ri ti.onally engage in the corners of the receptacle, one of said arms being of a length. greater than the distance between the diagonally opposite corners in which the ends are engaged l and the other arm being carried by an intermediate portion of the first mentioned. arm.

6. In. a file of the character described, a receptacle comprising a base and z'rngularly disposed walls, certain ol said. angularly disposed walls being located inside the edges of the base and having their adjacent ends spaced apart, leaving an. open side to the receptacle, in. combination with a retaining device that removably and lrictionally engages in. the receptacle, said device comprising angularly disposed arms, the terminals of which l rictionally engage in certain corners of the receptacle, one of said arms having a length greater than. the distance between the diagonally opposite corners in which it engages, the other being carried by an intermediate portion of said arm and having a free end that engages in a corner between the said diagonally opposite corners.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto allixed. my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANLIS ALBERT lVILLIAMS.

W itnesses:

F. V. NionoLs, W E. lrlcGRAw. 

